Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 23 2007 – Chief Coordinator and Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh, Mohiuddin Ahmed issued a statement today strongly condemning the arrest of the party’s deputy spokesman Kazi Murshedul Haque and demanded his immediate release. Murshedul Haque was arrested by members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on his way to the party central office after a peaceful protest meeting. The protest was organized by the party against the arrival of US navy ships to Bangladesh in the name of providing relief to the victims of cyclone Sidr.

Before his arrest Murshedul Haque addressed thousands of worshippers outside the national mosque. In his speech, Murshedul Haque said "under the pretext of relief aid for cyclone victims, the imperialist US is sending military ships to the Bay of Bengal to further its colonial interests within the region." He expressed concern that the US state department made its decision to send the ships without any consultation with the Bangladesh government. In fact the government of Bangladesh is totally silent on the issue. The only information on the issue is coming from US officials which clearly indicates that Bangladesh is being dictated to by the US.

Murshedul Haque further added that it is well known that the US has for long aimed to establish a military base in Bangladesh. This intent by the colonialist US will be strongly resisted by the people of Bangladesh and they will not cease to protest until these US ships leave Bangladesh and its territorial waters. The Muslims of Bangladesh will not allow the US to set up a base in the country whilst they are killing our brothers and sisters in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries. Murshedul Haque ended his speech by demanding that the government must not allow the presence of a single US soldier on Bangladesh’s soil.